Medicaid: A Primer – Key Information on the Nation’s Health Coverage Program for Low-Income People

Mar 01, 2013

Medicaid is the largest health insurance program in the U.S., covering over 62 million Americans, including millions of the poorest individuals and families in the nation. It also serves as a key source of health care financing and is the dominant source of the country’s long-term care financing. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) expands Medicaid significantly beginning in 2014 and the expanded program is to serve as the foundation of the broader framework created by the ACA to cover millions of previously uninsured low-income adults and children. The primer examines how the Medicaid program is structured, who it covers, what services it provides, how it is financed and how much it costs. It also provides an overview of how Medicaid will change under the health reform law.